Mental illness ravaging nation's youth
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Jill Stark October 24, 2008
ALARMING new figures have revealed that one in four young people are battling a mental illness, with many problems triggered by drug and alcohol abuse. The first snapshot of Australia's mental health in a decade found that Generation Y is being ravaged by depression, anxiety disorders and substance abuse. Australian Bureau of Statistics data reveals that 26% of people aged 16 to 24 — about 650,000 people — suffered mental illnesses last year. Anxiety problems including panic attacks, obsessive compulsive disorder and post-traumatic stress were the most common with 15% of young people affected. The figures come after a summit of leading mental health experts last week declared a "state of emergency" in youth mental health. They said young Australians with mental disorders, many of which develop in adolescence, were at greater risk of suicide, self-harm and drug addiction because of gaps in treatment.
"This is a national emergency, it's a huge, big public health problem," said Professor McGorry. "But I'm not sure the sense of urgency from Governments is as great as the need. "I don't think they realise how much investment and political support is needed to address this. Without it I think we're going to see continuing deterioration. Imagine if there was increased level of heart disease or cancer but the service system was not responding to it; there would be an outcry." Professor McGorry warned parents that the ABS figures could be an underestimate. "These are annual prevalence figures so that's just a one-year snapshot, whereas cumulatively, by the time they get to 25, the risk is even higher. "Everyone who's got a teenage kid must realise that they have got a one-in-three chance of developing a significant mental health problem by the age of 25," he said. Despite the huge demand for help, more than 2 million people did not receive appropriate treatment. David Crosbie, chief executive of the Mental Health Council of Australia, found the findings "startling". "Ten years ago around 38% of people (with mental illnesses) were getting services, now it's about 35%, so things are getting worse," he said. "Mental health is really the Cinderella of the health system — it's just not treated as seriously." |